In his memoir, the Pope praises masterpieces of Italian neorealism by Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini – and defends Fellini with some assistance from Pasolini
A stone folly at the castle where Claudia Winkleman sniffs out treachery on television puts Apollo’s roving correspondent in mind of other perfect sites for plotting
As a giant green apple reappears atop the Magritte Museum in Brussels, Rakewell wonders which other artists might benefit from the super-size treatment
Playing Michelangelo in a new BBC docudrama about the artist’s turbulent time in Florence, Dance delivers more than a performance – he channels the divine
A series of naturist nights at a museum in Marseille is a salutary reminder that the term ‘art buff’ can have more than one meaning
The $6m acquisition at auction of a Maurizio Cattelan banana has been widely mocked, but perhaps the buyer’s intention to eat his purchase is a noble one
Hearing that the gallery is no longer hosting its usual bacchanal at Art Basel Miami Beach this year, Rakewell wonders whether White Cube has gone square
North-eastern France contains the largest number of war memorials in the country and a museum in Meaux is making an unusual new contribution
With the news that an artist is set to tie the knot with an interactive hologram, Rakewell wonders whether romance is dead after all
At the Art Gallery of Ontario, visitors fitted with heart monitors have found Otto Dix stimulating and Gerhard Richter soothing. The rest of art history remains to be rated…
A feud in Fife involving a single-minded outsider artist and his unhappy neighbour gives Apollo’s roving correspondent cause to reflect
The French president’s wife tests her dramatic chops in the latest season of Emily in Paris, even though the show is now flirting with Rome – and her husband couldn’t be happier
A new study breaks down viewers’ reactions to Vermeer’s most famous work – a welcome reminder that artists have long had stratagems for seducing the eye
Now is your chance to bid for Jon Snow’s sword, Jaime Lannister’s golden hand, or even the head of a direwolf to stave off the darkness that lies ahead
The rapid rise to fame of a baby pygmy hippopotamus in Thailand has raised concerns about her well-being – and about who will own her image rights
Visitors to Jane Austen’s House will soon be able to ‘meet’ the popular Pride and Prejudice character, but will her avatar make a good first impression?
Undeterred by a security tag on her ankle, the convicted con artist is taking to the small screen for Dancing with the Stars
An art collection assembled by a ‘Dodo-ologist’ is heading to auction, but not everyone has had the same level of enthusiasm for the bird
PETA is throwing shade at the paint company Farrow & Ball for its use of vegan-unfriendly paint names, but coming up with terms for colours is easier said than done
While Pharrell has called for art to be part of the official competition again, let’s not ignore the artists currently making their presence felt in Paris – and the athletes with art-historical credentials
The eyewateringly expensive banquet President Macron held for Charles III belongs to a long history of conspicuous royal consumption
The LVMH stable, from Louis Vuitton to Chaumet, is ensuring that Paris 2024 will get a gold medal for aesthetics, as sport gets increasingly stylish
A tourist has been caught in the throes of passion with a statue of the god of wine, but perhaps she was merely giving into the effects of Stendhal syndrome
